These are some of the items that will be on sale at the Artisan Cafe this Saturday, from noon to 4:00 PM, as the business prepares to go close.

Those of you out there who are into cooking may find some really great deals for your home kitchen in this sale, but don’t miss those books either. There are some good quality books in those shelves, and at a great price.

“After much thought and continued hard work towards keeping The Artisan Cafe open we have come to the difficult decision to attempt a sale of the business. We will remain open for at least the next two weeks during which we will also accept inquiries into the purchase of the cafe. We deeply value all that each of you have done to show your appreciation for our presence in the community. It is with great sadness that we send this message to you, but we ask again that you pass it along to any interested parties. We still look forward to celebrating Valentines Day weekend with you as well as a very special music event next Saturday to benefit children’s cancer research. Again we thank you for your support through the last two years!”

“Yes, we have reached a milestone of two years at The Artisan Cafe. It hasn’t been easy but we are trying to hang in there despite all the inherent problems of running a new business in a difficult economy. As a thank you to all our customers we will be open Thursday from 11am until 8pm in addition to Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We will also offer two dollars off every sandwich and entree all day Thursday, Friday, and Saturday! We hope to see you all during our Anniversary. For those of you who are having parties for the Super Bowl, remember we offer to go meals. We will have chili. burgers and our amazing cheesesteaks on the menu as well as our lunch menu to go all day Sunday. Just be sure to call in advance with orders. 387-4993. Thank you all for a great two years.”

In a time when some big restaurant chains have gone out of business, the Artisan Cafe remains, giving us opportunity for an occasional bite of comfort to help us get through the hard times.

I like the Artisan and would recommend it not just to foodies, but to also to “meat and potatoes” folks that yearn for fresh and thoughtfully prepared meals. The high standards of the establishment in the selection of fresh ingredients and careful preparation are evident in the good food on every plate.  If you are inclined to eat out, I would recommend that you drop by the Artisan – good value for the dollar, excellent quality food.

I hear you can find also the Artisan Café on Facebook.  If you are a member, look them up.

The review reads,

“Artisan Cafe is in a storefront along the charming main street in tiny Trumansville north of Ithaca, New York – Finger Lakes region. It’s clean and bright and homey all at once. There are shelves of books to read along the walls and great pecan rolls to savor — tricky to do both at the same time, but we tried.

The owner and her son make the pastries and delicious crusty bread themselves. Her son learned bread-making in Italy and France – he uses wild yeast, flour and water. AND he grinds his own grain! Talk about devotion.

I had a great pastrami with local cheese and that excellent bread. Mike had a grilled cheese with three kinds of cheese. Everything is simply and beautifully presented. Don’t miss!”

My wife and I visited the new Artisan Cafe, between book store and Dragon Village, for an early lunch this morning, and had a very nice time. There’s something about the place that inspires hushed conversations, a very different mood from Gimme Coffee. The Cafe serves Gimme, though, so there’s not so much a competition against the Gimme Coffee shop next to the creek as there is an augmentation.

We both had Gimme’s Deep Disco, which came to us in a large french press, enough for two generous cupfuls. Working up the artisan angle, the coffee also comes with artisan dark chocolate squares. My 10 month-old son didn’t seem too enthusiastic about those, but he was quite content to chew on a sample of the Cafe’s artisan bread, which I found quite satisfying myself, especially when dunked in the very generous bowl of lentil soup. When my wife tried the lentil soup, her eyes got big. The taste was luxurious and warming, especially in the broth.

The design of the Artisan Cafe gives the place a feeling of openness. There are enough tables for perhaps 30 people to sit comfortably, but they aren’t crowded together. The light color on the walls also makes the place feel more expansive than before. The music, with gentle energy, adds to that feeling.

The Artisan Cafe seems designed in order to encourage people to eat, drink and act with reflection. Quotations on the balance between thought and action are spread across the walls, and a bookcase provides people with something meaty to go with their food. There’s a good children’s corner as well, which will be very much appreciated by those of us who have bred. Children’s books and an easel continue the theme of the combination of thinking and creation.

The next time we go, I’d very much like to try the pastries, which looked delicious, and the window seats, which looked very comfortable, and yet a bit too close to the chilly air outside for my taste in February.